Since Trump’s Inauguration on January 21, 2025, he has signed 53 executive orders. An executive order is a signed, written, and published directive from the President of the United States that manages the operations of the federal government.
For a complete list of all the executive orders signed and descriptions, click here.
His executive orders cover immigration, trade, the economy, environmental policies, and civil rights and diversity programs. Many of them are currently under legal scrutiny while others are receiving positive feedback from his supporters.
Here is a broad overview of what has been signed and the effects of those orders, this article is meant to be non-partisan and informative, as a way for students to better understand the often confusing world of politics going on around them.
A heavy focus of Trump’s campaign has been Immigration and U.S. Border Policy. He has “triggered an invasion across the southern border of the United States.” This statement allows him to utilize executive branch powers in order to address this invasion. He has also redefined “birthright citizenship”, a part of the 14th Amendment equal protection clause in the constitution, but this is currently being challenged in federal court. He is allowing U.S. military service members to act as immigration and border enforcement officers. This includes the Ready Reserve and National Guard, military property that could be used as detention space, ground and air transport vehicles, and “other logistics services in support of civilian-controlled law enforcement operations.” The attorney general and Homeland Security secretary are being tasked with creating Homeland Security Task Forces in all 50 states, in the name of, “ending the presence of criminal cartels, foreign gangs, and transnational criminal organizations.” He is continuing to fund the wall and other physical barriers along the southern border. He’s ended parole programs for illegal immigrants (“family reunification”). These programs allow family members of certain citizens and permanent-resident immigrants to come to the U.S. as they wait for the visa applications to be reviewed. He has directed the attorney general to withhold government grants and funding from any cities that are not directly complying with the deportation efforts. The attorney general, secretary of state, and others must “evaluate the adequacy of programs designed to ensure the proper assimilation of lawful immigrants into the United States, and recommend any additional measures that promote a unified American identity.”
His campaign also focused heavily on international trade and the economy. He has threatened 25% tariffs on Canada and as high as 60% tariffs on China. He has suspended U.S. involvement in the Global Tax Deal, which is an agreement that sets a minimum corporate tax internationally to prevent multinational corporations from avoiding taxation altogether. He has also postponed the TikTok ban and halted efforts to stop the spread of misinformation to protect First Amendment free speech rights. 
While he didn’t talk extensively about environmental policy during his campaign, his administration has dealt with it a lot over the first few weeks of his presidency. Most notably he has withdrawn from the Paris Climate Agreement, which was an international agreement committed to helping climate change. This order stops all financial aid in efforts to slow down or solve climate change. He has declared a National Energy Emergency, eliminated Biden’s policies encouraging the development of electric/ eco-friendly cars, and reengaged a California lawsuit in an attempt to gain the ability to override wildlife protection regulations in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. He has also restored countless fossil fuel leases and eliminated Biden’s fossil fuel policies.
He has signed countless bills pertaining to diversity programs and civil rights since his inauguration. He has put all federal DEI officers on immediate leave until they are fired and repealed several of Biden’s directives concerning racial, ethnic, and LGBTQ+ rights. These directives targeted issues to prevent government discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, race, and ethnic background, and also promoted educational initiatives for countless minority groups. One notable repealed order allowed transgender persons to serve in the military. He has given government branches 60 days to fire all DEI workers and eliminate programs. He has required that the U.S. government only recognize two genders legally and mandated that when interpreting both civil and labor law they are interpreted on the basis that ‘sex’ does not associate with the concept of ‘gender identity’. He has gotten rid of the White House Gender Policy Council and repealed directives to assist schools in supporting and protecting LGBTQ+ youth.
He has also signed orders and made statements dealing with health care, government structure, foreign policy the “America First Movement”, the death penalty, crime, federal workers, Nationalism, and the January 6th insurrectionists.
Politics can often feel scary or hard to follow, or even far away and unimportant, but all this couldn’t be farther from the truth! Regardless of where you stand on the political spectrum, being educated in how the government works and on the policies and agendas of those in power will always be a relevant and worthy use of time. In the current political climate, it is crucial to stay educated on what is happening in our government and society as a whole. This article is a great start, but keep reading and making your mind up about your government, it is meant to serve you!
